Weerd Science - Friends and Nervous...

Let me start this off by saying that I am in no way an expert on rap. When I first heard Weerd Science, I had no idea what to expect – I mean, Josh, the drummer from Coheed and Cambria…rapping? It just didn’t click in my mind. I mean, look at the guy in the Favor House Atlantic video, he’s goofy as hell. As soon as I got the CD, I must say that I was more than surprised, I was quite pleased. Like many of our readers, I can’t stand most rap, I find it shallow, boring, and just awful. Weerd Science had an opposite effect on me. Josh actually has really good flow, his rhymes are very creative, and the beats are fresh. Yes, I said fresh. The lyrics themselves are incredibly vulgar and often disgusting, Josh pokes fun at the music scene, racial stereotypes, slutty women, and pretty much everything else imaginable. About half the tracks are simply outstanding – and that means a lot coming from somebody who doesn’t even like the somewhat new trend of “emo rap” (Gym Class Heroes, etc.) Josh brings his flow non-stop through each and every track. While his lyrics are often downright goofy and laughable, he does make some interesting social commentary on some of his tracks, commenting on the war in Iraq and President Bush (“In a City With No Name.”) Using this song as an example, he speaks out against President Bush but also cleverly comments about how people complain and campaign against Bush so hard but then don’t do anything about it when it matters – “None of you mother fuckers even bothered to vote, neither did I.”

Other tracks are driven solely by beats and rhythms. “Fuck You and Your Filthy A&R Department” consists of Josh rapping as fast as humanly possible while a gang vocal chorus shouts out a whole bunch of “Fuck Yous” to various scene people. The lyrics on other tracks will just make you laugh, “Girl, Your Baby’s Worm Food” is an extremely vulgar track about DIY abortions. The song is degrading to women, its offensive to anybody who’s for OR against abortion, but…it’s just so damn funny. Immature? Extremely. I won’t lie though, I still laugh every time I hear it.

It’s apparent that people will draw comparisons between Weerd Science and Eminem. While Josh certainly doesn’t write lyrics as insightful as Eminem sometimes does, they have very similar voices and delivery. Weerd Science really isn’t anything breakthrough, but it is an enjoyable listen. About half the songs are great, but the other half is really nothing special. When the tempo of the album slows, I found myself losing all interest. You’ll cringe at how dirty the lyrics can be, but the beats and flow will have you nodding your head even if you’re not a rap fan much like myself. True fans of hip-hop will pass this off as another stupid “emo side project,” but I recommend giving it a shot. If nothing else, you’ll get a good laugh out of it. That being said, I think this is a great party CD and is worth the money to purchase it – even if it is just to play it and tell your friends that it’s the white drummer from Coheed and Cambria rapping. Overall, a worthy effort that is enjoyable if you just take it for what it is.